It’s a sunny day in Circleville. A lunch break is well overdue and the streets and storefronts are bustling with people. Past the towering cornfields and grazing cows, North Court Street takes any passerby through the busy part of the town. Hang a right at Watt Street to find the local eatery, J.R. Hooks Café. 

J.R. Hooks Café has remained a staple eatery in Circleville for 22 years, according to a current general manager Mark Justice. The New Orleans style complements the Americana- and Cajun-themed menu. The venue has evolved with the decades, and now, it is more than just a small town eatery.

J.R. Hooks Café also hosts live musical guests on a regular basis. During the summer the local café holds the “marathon music series,” which hosts performers every other Saturday, says Mark. Guests can eat and jive to live performers, grab a wooden stool at the bar, head over to a separate dining area or head out to the back patio for a bite.

“It’s kind of like a party place for people in local Circleville,” says Mark.

But before, after and during the party, there’s always time for a Cajun-style dish. The café is known for “Hooks Crab Corn Chowder” as listed on the J.R. Hooks menu. Mark says that Jack, the original owner, listed the Crab Corn Chowder on the café’s premier menu 22 years ago.

“It’s still one of our best sellers today,” he says. “It’s an amazing dish, it’s real simple to make but people love it.”

And sure enough, it is delicious. The Chowder is creamy; warming and comforting as any soup should be, yet with a hint of spice, stands apart from other chowders. Other themed dishes include the “Louisiana Chicken Salad,” “Cajun Quesadillas” or the “Gulf Coast Specialty Pizza.”

“We’ve got certified chefs coming in very often and raising the level of culinary degree in the kitchen so the foods awesome,” Mark says.

Stop by J.R. Hooks Café at 115 Watt Street for a spicy (or mild) bite of Circleville.

Photo taken by Sandie Young